‘New’ Russian missile used against Ukraine, not hypersonic: defense officials

Two US officials confirmed to Fox News on Thursday that a Russian “experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile” (IRBM) fired at Ukraine was not hypersonic.

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the attack Thursday night in an address to the nation, saying it was a direct response to the United States and Britain jointly approving Ukraine’s use of Western-supplied long-range missiles to target Russia.

Putin and US sources have since confirmed that the attack was not an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), but the Kremlin chief also claimed that the weapon used poses a significant challenge to Western nations.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh confirmed to reporters during a press briefing Thursday that Russia had launched an IRBM based on one of Russia’s ICBM models. She sometimes called the IRBM “experimental” and explained that it was the first time the missile had been used on the battlefield.

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A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is test-fired from the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia. (Press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense via AP)

“This was a new type of lethal capability being used on the battlefield, so that’s certainly a concern for us,” Singh said.

She also said the US was notified shortly before the launch through nuclear or risk reduction channels.

Still, Singh told reporters that the Defense Department has seen no adjustment in Russia’s nuclear posture, nor has the United States made any changes to its own.

Putin said, according to a translation, that the missile struck the target at a speed of Mach 10.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to the Moscow-appointed head of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, Yevgeny Balitsky, during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

“That’s 2.5 miles per second,” Putin said. “The world’s current air defense systems and missile defense systems developed by the Americans in Europe do not intercept such missiles.”

Despite Putin’s claim, two US defense officials told Fox News that the missile was not hypersonic, which according to NASA is a speed greater than 3,000 mph and faster than Mach 5.

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Singh told reporters that the only escalation in the war between Russia and Ukraine is that the former invaded a sovereign border country and approached North Korea to bring about 11,000 troops to fight against Ukraine.

Following President Biden’s reversal this week to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied long-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) against the Russian homeland, Kyiv immediately launched strikes against a military arsenal in the Russian region of Bryansk, more than 70 miles from Ukraine border.

Ukrainian soldiers train in the Zaporizhzhia region. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine’s 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)

While Ukrainian troops officially fired the sophisticated missiles, the weapons system still relies on US satellites to hit its target, an issue Putin addressed in his unannounced speech Thursday.

“We are testing the Oreshnik missile systems in combat conditions in response to the aggressive actions of NATO countries against Russia. We will decide on the further deployment of medium-range and shorter-range missiles depending on the actions of the United States and its satellites.” he said.

Putin claimed that Russia will warn Ukrainian citizens of an impending attack like the one he carried out on Thursday, although it remains unclear whether he issued a warning to Ukrainians living in Dnipro.

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The Kremlin chief said the “defense industry” was targeted, although images released by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry showed what appeared to be civilian infrastructure caught up in the fighting.

Fox News Digital’s Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.